Separate repository for GIMP AppImage plug-ins

Separate repository for GIMP AppImage plug-ins

As you might know, I am providing since quite some time a Linux AppImage package for GIMP, both for stable releases and development snapshots.
So far, the AppImages have been shipped in two versions, one only containing the GIMP application, and another one also containing several popular plug-ins.

While this worked, the approach had few major drawbacks:
* the size of the package with plug-ins is obviously larger than the one without
* there was no way to decouple the versions of the various plug-ins and the one of the GIMP application

Recently I have managed to decouple the GIMP plug-ins from the main AppImage, and provide them as separate packages.

Re: Separate repository for GIMP AppImage plug-ins

> Recently I have managed to decouple the GIMP plug-ins from the main AppImage, and provide them as separate packages.

Thank you very much for your work in making the AppImages! I find them
very useful.

I want to cast a vote for an "all plugins" AppImage for those of us that
want all or most of the plugins and don't want to have to download and
run all of the separate AppImages. (E.g. I use four of them, plus the
main GIMP AppImage, is five things to download.) If it is simple for you
to make, it would be handy. If it is not simple, I will survive. :-) Thanks!

Re: Separate repository for GIMP AppImage plug-ins

> On 10 Apr 2019, at 03:05, Casey Connor via gimp-developer-list <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>
>> Recently I have managed to decouple the GIMP plug-ins from the main AppImage, and provide them as separate packages.
>
> Thank you very much for your work in making the AppImages! I find them very useful.
>
> I want to cast a vote for an "all plugins" AppImage for those of us that want all or most of the plugins and don't want to have to download and run all of the separate AppImages. (E.g. I use four of them, plus the main GIMP AppImage, is five things to download.) If it is simple for you to make, it would be handy. If it is not simple, I will survive. :-) Thanks!

An “all plugins” AppImage is not difficult to generate, all the scripts are still in place for that… the issue is more practical: suppose you are using the ApImage from the 2.10.10 GIMP release, and you want to update G’MIC to the latest version. With an “all plugins” AppImage that would not be possible, because I would need to re-generate the AppImage each time one of the plug-ins is updated. In the new scheme, you only have to re-download the G’MIC plug-in and you are done.

Also take into account that apart form G’MIC, the other plug-ins are very rarely updated. Hence you can download and install them once, and they should still work with future 2.10.x GIMP versions.

One thing I need to check/test is whether I can provide an “all plugins” AppImage and still allow to install the individual plug-ins as updates. That is, the plug-in that was downloaded separately would take precedence over the bundled one.

Re: Separate repository for GIMP AppImage plug-ins

Thanks -- I understand now that an "All Plugins" image works against
what you're trying to do, which is make the build/update process
simpler... don't trouble yourself with the "all plugins" version, I will
just work with the images you have proposed. Thanks! -c

> An “all plugins” AppImage is not difficult to generate, all the scripts are still in place for that… the issue is more practical: suppose you are using the ApImage from the 2.10.10 GIMP release, and you want to update G’MIC to the latest version. With an “all plugins” AppImage that would not be possible, because I would need to re-generate the AppImage each time one of the plug-ins is updated. In the new scheme, you only have to re-download the G’MIC plug-in and you are done.
>
> Also take into account that apart form G’MIC, the other plug-ins are very rarely updated. Hence you can download and install them once, and they should still work with future 2.10.x GIMP versions.
>
> One thing I need to check/test is whether I can provide an “all plugins” AppImage and still allow to install the individual plug-ins as updates. That is, the plug-in that was downloaded separately would take precedence over the bundled one.
>
> Would this make sense?
>
> Andrea
>
>> -c
>>
>>
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